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Dress codes

Employers commonly have a dress code to ensure that all employees understand what standards are appropriate when it comes to their dress and appearance.

A dress code could have rules banning certain items of clothing and footwear (such as jeans, shorts and flip-flops), and rules on other areas of appearance, such as hair, tattoos, and piercings.

Employer may have to adapt the rules to accommodate employees whose cultural or religious needs make it difficult for them to comply with the rules. Employers may have to justify any indirectly discriminatory rules on dress or appearance.


    • Police
    • Scotland
    • Latest News

    Police Scotland turns away tasteless tattoos

    by Jo Faragher 10 Mar 2025
    by Jo Faragher 10 Mar 2025

    Police Scotland has turned away a record 25 recruits for tattoos that went against official policy.

    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Latest News
    • Dress codes

    Employers shun strict dress codes as culture shifts

    by Jo Faragher 15 Jan 2025
    by Jo Faragher 15 Jan 2025

    Only a tiny proportion of employers still enforce ‘strict’ dress codes, according to research from Brightmine.
    The company found that...

    • Stress
    • Constructive dismissal
    • Latest News

    Jet2 flight attendant who quit job in haircut row loses tribunal case

    by Kavitha Sivasubramaniam 1 Aug 2024
    by Kavitha Sivasubramaniam 1 Aug 2024

    A Jet2 flight attendant who quit work in a row about her “extreme” haircut has lost her bid for £22,000 in compensation.

    • Civil Service
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Latest News

    Civil service EDI jobs, spending and networks to be culled

    by Rob Moss 13 May 2024
    by Rob Moss 13 May 2024

    There will be no more standalone civil service EDI jobs outside HR and external spending will require government sign-off.

    • Military
    • Latest News
    • Dress codes

    British Army ends beard ban

    by Ashleigh Webber 2 Apr 2024
    by Ashleigh Webber 2 Apr 2024

    The British Army has ended its century-old ban on beards, but has outlined several requirements for length and grooming.

    • Bullying and harassment
    • NHS
    • Latest News

    Bare below elbows: Muslim medic loses religious discrimination claim

    by Rob Moss 27 Mar 2024
    by Rob Moss 27 Mar 2024

    Surgeon told she must be 'bare below the elbows' loses religious discrimination and harassment claim against Airedale NHS Foundation Trust.

    • Hybrid working
    • Latest News
    • Dress codes

    Pyjama couture still reigns supreme in the world of hybrid working

    by Adam McCulloch 24 Nov 2023
    by Adam McCulloch 24 Nov 2023

    Many aspects of UK working culture remain infused with lockdown vogues and one of the less documented – until now – are pyjamas, which have been thriving as workwear since 2020.

    • Latest News
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Dress codes

    Butlin’s aims for ‘positive, inclusive’ look with new Redcoat uniforms

    by Adam McCulloch 20 Oct 2023
    by Adam McCulloch 20 Oct 2023

    New look modernises the famous redcoat uniform with new materials, as Butlin's aims to modernise and broaden its appeal.

    • Employment law
    • Latest News
    • Dismissal

    NHS Trust dismissed woman who was subject to ‘sex-related harassment’

    by Adam McCulloch 6 Oct 2023
    by Adam McCulloch 6 Oct 2023

    A hospital pharmacy worker has won a tribunal case over her claim she was subject to sex-related harassment.

    • Latest News
    • Dress codes
    • Workplace culture

    Sultry September raises dress code dilemmas

    by Adam McCulloch 8 Sep 2023
    by Adam McCulloch 8 Sep 2023

    Summer has arrived this week, somewhat tardily, with the UK baking in temperatures of up to 35°C. The irony of...

    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Latest News
    • Discrimination

    Interview dress codes: Black candidates fear discrimination

    by Ashleigh Webber 5 Sep 2023
    by Ashleigh Webber 5 Sep 2023

    Research finds widely-accepted job interview dress codes cause concern among ethnic minorities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.

    • Police
    • Scotland
    • Health and safety

    Police Scotland beard ban postponed again

    by Rob Moss 25 Jul 2023
    by Rob Moss 25 Jul 2023

    UK's second largest police force postpones beard ban for the second time after feedback from officer representatives.

    • Police
    • Health and safety
    • Latest News

    Police Scotland bans beards in frontline roles

    by Ashleigh Webber 5 May 2023
    by Ashleigh Webber 5 May 2023

    Police Scotland has banned staff and officers in frontline roles from having beards, in case they have to wear an FFP3 face mask.

    • Employee relations
    • Financial services
    • Legal sector

    Workplace couture prompts awkward questions

    by Adam McCulloch 3 Feb 2023
    by Adam McCulloch 3 Feb 2023

    A law firm wants its employees to be ‘wildly fabulous’ and dress to impress at work. Meanwhile, an HR firm has delved online to discover the most awkward questions asked by workers.

    • Employee engagement
    • Ethics
    • Latest News

    Menopause and sustainability inform HSBC’s uniform designs

    by Adam McCulloch 2 Feb 2023
    by Adam McCulloch 2 Feb 2023

    HSBC has revealed new ‘casual-style’ uniforms for its 4,000 branch staff.

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Personnel Today
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